Invertible gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism

ABSTRACT

An invertible gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism is provided. A frame supports a housing having an opening therein for receiving a hitch member in an upright use position or in inverted storage position. A base portion of the hitch member has a circumscribing groove therein to permit cooperation with a pin of a retaining assembly. A user may selectively extend or retract the pin from receipt in the groove by rotating a spaced apart handle when the ball is in either the use or storage positions to retain the hitch member in the opening.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/368,777, entitled “INVERTIBLE GOOSENECK TRAILER HITCH MECHANISM”, filed Feb. 19, 2003.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to “gooseneck” type trailer hitches for use in the bed of a tow vehicle, such as a pickup truck. More particularly, this invention relates to a gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism that allows a user to store the hitch ball in an inverted position when it is not needed to make the bed of the truck flat and thereby permit the user to make full use of the truck's bed.

The most common method of hooking a trailer to a vehicle for towing is attaching the trailer to a hitch ball that is mounted on or near the vehicle's rear bumper. However, by virtue of their arrangement, bumper pulled trailers have relatively small size and load restrictions. A common method is employed to tow larger trailers the use of a gooseneck trailer with a gooseneck trailer hitch. In a gooseneck trailer hitch arrangement, a hitch ball is mounted in or on the floor of a pickup bed and/or to the truck frame below the bed floor generally over or slightly ahead of the rear axle of the truck. The trailer has a long tongue portion which is curved and takes on the general shape of a goose's neck, thereby deriving its name. As a benefit of having the hitch ball mounted directly over or forward of the rear axle, as opposed to mounted on the bumper, the amount of load placed on the tongue of the trailer can be increased, because the load is passed directly onto the rear axle of the truck, instead of onto the bumper.

While gooseneck hitches of this type have been around for years, a problem associated with this hitching arrangement is that it often requires the presence of an upwardly projected and typically permanently mounted hitch ball in the middle of the floor of the bed. In the majority of the gooseneck hitch arrangements, the hitch ball is coupled with a large metal plate and the entire unit is bolted or welded to the floor of the truck bed and/or to the truck frame below the bed floor in a location which is generally in the center of the bed. This type of arrangement presents a problem in the event a user of the truck desires to lay large, flat sheet goods in the truck's bed. In that situation, the upwardly projecting hitch member does not allow the sheet goods to lay flat in the bed of the truck and can thereby damage the sheet goods. Similarly, if the user of the truck fills the bed with loose material, such as dirt or gravel, and attempts to shovel the loose material out, the upwardly projecting hitch member often interferes with the user's ability to shovel the loose material.

In an effort to solve these problems, several people have devised arrangements where the hitch ball is either completely removable or may be lowered beneath the floor of the bed. In the situation where the hitch ball is removable, a problem arises, however, in that, without a place to immediately store the removed hitch ball, the hitch ball is often misplaced and, eventually, lost. One arrangement that solved these problems has the hitch ball mounted in a pivoting arrangement that permits the hitch ball to be laid or folded down on its side below the bed surface when not in use. Another arrangement that solved these problems is the advent in recent years of a convertible type gooseneck hitch ball that permits the hitch ball to be retracted below the surface of the bed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,000 to PopUp Industries. These arrangements, however, often require a lot of space under the bed to mount the associated mechanism and are often costly to manufacture. Additionally, these methods do not permit the hitch ball member to rotate during use, a feature that has been found beneficial in some instances.

Therefore, there is a need for a gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism which permits the hitch ball to be easily moved from an upright use position to a position that permits full use of the truck bed while storing the hitch ball in a convenient location. There also is a need for a gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism which is compact in size and which is simple to manufacture. The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and fills these and other needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to overcome the above-stated problems and limitations, and to achieve the noted advantages, there is provided an invertible gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism having a housing with a generally vertical opening therein and a hitch member which is slidably received in the housing in either an upright use position or in inverted storage position. The hitch member has a ball portion and a base portion. The base portion includes a groove in an outer surface thereof that circumscribes the base portion. When the hitch member is in the use position, the groove aligns with a hole in the side of the housing through which a pin of a retaining assembly is slidably received. The pin selectively cooperates with the groove to permit or prevent the hitch member from being removed from the housing.

When a user desires to tow a gooseneck trailer with the hitch mechanism, the hitch member is received in the housing in the upright position and the pin is received in the groove in an extended position. When the user desires to make full use of the bed, the user can remove the hitch member from the housing by moving the pin from its extended position to a retracted position.

The pin is part of a retaining assembly that is coupled with the housing. The retaining assembly includes first and second members that cooperate in a camming fashion and a user engagable rod which extends away from the housing. The pin is biased to its extended position. A user can move the pin from its extended position to the retracted position by rotating the rod. When the pin is in the retracted position, the hitch member may be removed, flipped over, and reinserted in the housing in an inverted storage position. The rod may again be rotated to move the pin from its retracted position back to its extended position where it is again received in the groove and cooperates therewith to retain the hitch member in the housing in its storage position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The features of the invention noted above are explained in more detail with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, in which FIGS. 1-10 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an invertible gooseneck hitch ball mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention and mounted for use in a bed of a pickup truck with a hitch member of the mechanism in an upright use position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the mechanism with portions thereof cutaway for clarity and with the hitch member secured in the upright use position;

FIG. 3 is the view of FIG. 2 with a retaining assembly being activated to move a pin from an extended position illustrated in FIG. 2 to a retracted position illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is the view of FIG. 2 with the pin in the retracted position to permit removal of the hitch member from a housing;

FIG. 5 is the view of FIG. 2 with the hitch member being removed from the housing;

FIG. 6 is the view of FIG. 2 with the hitch member being reinserted in the housing in an inverted storage position;

FIG. 7 is the view of FIG. 2 with the hitch member secured in the inverted storage position;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the mechanism of FIG. 7 with portions cutaway for clarity;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of FIG. 6 with additional portions cutaway for clarity;

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view of the mechanism of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 11 is the view of FIG. 2 with additional portions cutaway for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially to FIG. 1, numeral 10 generally designates an invertible gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention. The mechanism 10 is designed to be mounted to a tow vehicle 12, such as the illustrated truck. The mechanism 10 is generally mounted in a bed 14 of the truck 12 adjacent a rear axle (not shown) connecting the vehicle's rear tires 16. The mechanism 10 includes a frame 18 which is attached to a frame 20 of the truck 12. The bed of the truck includes a floor 22.

Looking now at FIG. 2, the mechanism 10 further includes a housing 24, a hitch member 26 and a retaining assembly 28.

The housing 24 is generally tubular in nature and, in the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, is more preferably cylindrical in shape. It is, of course, within the scope of the present invention for the housing to have an alternate shape. The housing has a body 30 with an upper surface 32, a lower surface 34 and an outer surface 36 therebetween. The housing 24 is coupled with the frame 18 of the mechanism. This can be accomplished by welding the outer surface 36 of the housing 24 to the frame 18.

The housing 24, being tubular in nature, includes an opening 38 therethrough. The opening 38 is preferably cylindrical in nature. A ledge 40 is provided in the opening 38 adjacent the lower surface 34. The ledge 40 supports the hitch member 26 when it is received in the opening 38 in the housing 24 and prevents the hitch member 26 from falling out a bottom 42 of the housing 24. Preferably, the ledge 40 is an annular ring inside the opening and provides for the opening 38 having a reduced diameter portion 43 adjacent the lower surface 34 of the housing 24 when compared to the diameter of the opening 38 adjacent the upper surface 32 of the housing 24. The benefit of this arrangement will be readily apparent when its cooperation with the hitch member 26 is discussed below.

The housing 24 could be fabricated from a single piece of cylindrical tubing. In such instance, the ledge would be formed by removing additional material in the opening 38 above the desired location of the ledge 40. Alternatively, the ledge can be formed by welding a washer type device to the bottom of a section of tubing.

The hitch member 26 includes a ball portion 44 and a base portion 46. The ball portion 44 is of a shape well known in the art and is of standardized dimensions that are determined by the size of the hitch ball coupler on the trailer that is to receive the ball portion 44 during use.

The base portion 46 is preferably a cylindrical member having an outer surface 48 with a groove 50 therein. The groove 50 preferably circumscribes the base portion 46. The base portion 46 has a top surface 52 and a bottom surface 54. Preferably, the groove 50 is equidistant from the top and bottom surfaces 52, 54, for reasons that will be discussed in greater detail below. As best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, the base portion 46 also includes a hole 56 in its bottom surface 54. A shank 58 passes through the hole 56 in a transverse orientation. The shank 58 can be received in a tunnel 60 bored in the base portion 46 through the outer surface 48.

The retaining assembly 28 includes a sleeve 62 having, as best illustrated in FIG. 11, a passage 64 therethrough. The sleeve 62 is coupled with the housing 24 with the passage 64 aligned with a hole 66 in a sidewall 68 of the housing 24. Although not required, the passage 64 is preferably perpendicular to and in radial alignment with a central longitudinal axis 70 of the housing 24. The passage 64 includes first and second areas 72, 74, where the circumference of the first area 72 is larger than the circumference of the second area 74.

The retaining assembly 28 also includes a pin 76 having a first portion 78 and a second portion 80. The first portion 78 of the pin is sized for sliding receipt in the first area 72 of the passage 64 in the sleeve 62 and the second portion 80 of the pin 76 is sized for sliding receipt in the second area 74. The change in the circumference of the passage 64 between the first area 72 and the second area 74 creates an end wall 82 in the passage 64 of the sleeve 62 similar to the ledge 40 in the opening 38 of the housing 24.

A spring 84 is received on the second portion 80 of the pin 76 and is encased in the sleeve 62 in the first area 72 when the pin 76 is received in the passage 64 of the sleeve 62. With the passage 64 aligned with the hole 66 in the side wall 68 of the housing 24, the first portion 78 of the pin 76 is free to pass through the hole 66 in the housing 24 and into the opening 38 in an extended position, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 7, 8 and 11. As the spring 84 is in the first area 72 intermediate the first portion 78 and the end wall 82, when the pin 76 is moved to a retracted position, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 and 9, it is compressed.

The retaining assembly 28 also preferably includes a coupler 86 and a user engagable rod 88. The coupler 86 has a through bore 90 which receives a portion of the second portion 80 of the pin 76. A set screw 92 is received in a first internally threaded bore 94 to attach the coupler 86 to the pin 76. A proximal end 96 of the rod 88 is also received in the through bore 90 of the coupler 86, preferably in an end to end abutting relationship with the pin 76. A second set screw 98 is threadably received in a second internally threaded bore 100 to couple the rod 88 with the coupler 86. As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a distal end 102 of the rod 88 has a user engagable handle 104. The sleeve 62 and the coupler 86 both have sloped surfaces 106, 108 respectively.

The hitch member 26 is designed to be selectively slidably received in the housing 24 in either an upright use position, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, 10 and 11, or an inverted storage position, illustrated in FIGS. 6-9. The housing 24 is coupled with the mechanism's frame 18 and in turn the mechanism's frame 18 is coupled with the vehicle's frame 20 in a manner that permits the ball portion 44 of the hitch member 26 to project up above the floor 22 of the bed 14 of the truck 12 when the hitch member 26 is received in the housing 24 in the upright use position. Similarly, when the hitch member 26 is received in the housing 24 in the inverted storage position, the bottom surface 54 of the base portion 46 of the hitch member 26 is generally flush with the floor 22 of the bed 14 of the truck 12.

FIG. 2 illustrates the hitch member 46 received in the housing 24 in the use position. The pin 76 is biased into the groove 50 by the spring 84 to prevent the hitch member 26 from being removed from receipt in the opening 38 of the housing 24. A portion of the rod 88 passes through a passage in the vehicle's frame 20 such that the handle 104 of the retaining assembly 28 is accessible by a user in a wheel well 110 (FIG. 1) of the vehicle 12. In FIG. 2, with the pin 76 in its extended position, the sloped surface 108 of the coupler 86 is biased towards and abuts the sloped surface 106 of the sleeve 62 by virtue of the spring 84. As a user rotates the rod 88 via the handle 104, the sloped surfaces 106, 108 cooperate with one another in a camming fashion to remove the first portion 78 of the pin 76 from receipt in the groove 50 in the hitch member 26, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Though not critical, by virtue of its design, rotation of the handle 104 90° moves the pin from its extended position in FIG. 2 to its retracted position in FIG. 4.

The sloped surfaces 106, 108 of the sleeve 62 and the coupler 86 terminate in flattened portions 112, 114 respectively. When the pin 76 is in its extended position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the flattened portions 112, 114 are generally parallel to and opposite one another. However, as the rod 88 is rotated, the flattened portion 114 of the coupler 86 is moved toward the flattened portion 112 of the sleeve 62 until they abut one another when the pin 26 is in its retracted position, as illustrated in FIG. 4. When the flattened portions 112, 114 abut one another, the coupler 86 cooperates with the sleeve 62 to hold the pin 76 in its retracted position. This permits a user to climb into the bed 14 of the truck 12 and remove the hitch member 26 from receipt in the opening 38 of the housing 24 by grasping the ball portion 44 and lifting the hitch member 26 straight up, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The user may then flip the hitch member 26 end for end, reinsert the hitch member 26 back in the housing 24 in its inverted storage position (see FIG. 6), climb out of the truck and rotate the handle 104 back to its original position, thereby reinserting the pin 76 in the groove 50 in the base portion 46 of the hitch member 26 to again secure the hitch member 26 in the housing 24 (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

To return the hitch member 26 to its use position, the user simply rotates the handle 104 back to the position where the pin 76 is in its retracted position, sticks their finger or a tool down in the hole 56 in the bottom surface 54 of the hitch member 26 and removes the hitch member 26 from the housing 24 by pulling up on the shank 58. The hitch member can then be flipped back over and dropped back down into the opening 38 in the housing 24.

Many variations on the illustrated embodiment of the present invention can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. For example, while the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings discloses the housing, its opening, the base member, the sleeve, its passage, the pin, the coupler, its through bore and the rod as being cylindrical or formed from cylindrical stock, non-cylindrical items could be used. However, the use of cylindrical components has been found beneficial for several reasons, including ease of manufacturing. Additionally, the use of a cylindrical opening 38 coupled with a cylindrical base portion 46 with a circumscribing groove 50 permits the hitch member 26 to rotate in the housing 24 about the central longitudinal axis 70 during use. This has been found beneficial to reduce wear on the ball portion 44 and the trailer coupler and to prevent a locking up therebetween. Additionally, by centering the groove 50 between the top and bottom surfaces 52, 54 of the base portion 46, the retaining assembly 28 can be used to hold the hitch member 26 in the housing 24 in both the upright and inverted positions.

Also, while the retaining assembly 28 discloses a retractable pin 76, any arrangement that selectively cooperates with the groove 50 to retain the hitch member 26 in the housing 24 will suffice. For example, the pin could be securely mounted and the hitch member slide sideways to receive the pin in the groove. A block could then be used to hold the hitch member in cooperation with the pin. Further, the pin need not be biased. The pin could be pushed through the hole 66 and wedged in place. Similarly, it is within the scope of the present invention that the illustrated embodiment of the retaining assembly 28 could be used with a different hitch member 26, say one with a bore instead of a groove, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Additionally, it is readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that, while the housing 24 as illustrated has an opening 38 therethrough, the side wall 68 of the housing 24 could be extended downwardly passed the ledge 40 a sufficient distance to permit the bottom 42 of the housing to be enclosed. Similarly, while the ledge 40 is illustrated as being annular, it should be readily understood that such is not necessary and the ledge 40 can be sectioned provided the ball portion 44 is still permitted to pass thereby to permit the top surface 52 of the ball portion 44 to rest on ledge 40 when the ball is in its inverted position to align the groove 50 with the pin 76.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the invention.

Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention, and not in a limiting sense. 

1. A gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism comprising: a frame; a housing coupled with the frame, the housing having an opening therein; a hitch member having a portion thereof which is selectively slidably received within the opening in the housing in an upright position and an inverted position, and wherein the portion of the hitch member is cylindrical and includes an annular groove in an outer surface thereof which entirely circumscribes the portion; and a pin member coupled with the housing for selectively retaining the hitch member in the housing, wherein the pin member is selectively movable between a first position, where a portion of the pin member extends into the opening, and a second position, where the pin does not extend into the opening.
 2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the pin member cooperates with the groove when the hitch member is in either of the upright and the inverted positions and the pin member is in the first position to retain the hitch member in the housing.
 3. The mechanism of claim 2, wherein the pin member, when in its first position and cooperating with the groove, permits the hitch member to rotate during use.
 4. The mechanism of claim 3, wherein the groove is generally uniform in depth along its length.
 5. The mechanism of claim 4, wherein the housing includes a bore therein that communicates with the opening, wherein at least a portion of the pin member is slidably received in the bore in the housing, wherein the first position of the pin member is an extended position, where a portion of the pin extends into the opening through the bore, and wherein the second position of the pin member is a retracted position, where the pin does not extend into the opening.
 6. The mechanism of claim 5, wherein the pin is biased to the extended position.
 7. A gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism comprising: a housing having a generally cylindrical opening therein; a hitch member having a ball portion and a base portion, wherein the base portion is generally cylindrical in nature and includes a groove in an outer surface thereof that completely circumscribes the base portion, wherein the base portion of the hitch member is sized for selective receipt within the opening, wherein the base portion is receivable in the opening in a first position where the ball portion is above the base portion, and wherein the base portion is alternatively receivable in the opening in a second position where the ball portion is below the base portion; and a retaining assembly coupled with the housing, wherein the retaining assembly selectively cooperates with the groove of the hitch member to prevent the hitch member from being removed from receipt within the housing, and wherein the retaining assembly permits the base portion to rotate in the opening during use when the base portion is received in the opening in the first position.
 8. The mechanism of claim 7, wherein the groove has a generally uniform depth and width.
 9. The mechanism of claim 7, wherein the retaining assembly includes a pin, wherein the pin is movable between a first position and a second position, and wherein the pin is received in the groove and cooperates therewith to prevent the hitch member from be removed from receipt within the housing when the pin is in the first position and the base portion of the hitch member is received in the opening in the first position.
 10. The mechanism of claim 9, wherein the pin is extended into the opening in its first position and wherein the pin does not extend into the opening in its second position.
 11. The mechanism of claim 10, wherein the pin is biased to its first position.
 12. The mechanism of claim 11, wherein the opening includes a reduced diameter portion therein adjacent a lower portion of the housing, the reduced diameter portion creating a ledge in the opening upon which the base portion of the hitch member rests when the hitch member is received in the housing.
 13. The mechanism of claim 12, wherein the first position of the base portion where the ball portion is above the base portion is an upright use position, wherein the second position of the base portion where the ball portion is below the base portion is an inverted storage position, and wherein the reduced diameter portion is sized to permit the ball portion to pass therethrough when the base portion is received in the opening in the inverted storage position.
 14. The mechanism of claim 13, wherein the base portion has an upper surface adjacent the ball portion and a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and wherein the groove is equidistant from the upper and lower surfaces, whereby the pin cooperates with the groove to retain the hitch member in the housing both when the base portion is received in the opening in the use position and when the base portion is received in the opening in the storage position.
 15. The mechanism of claim 14, wherein the retaining assembly includes a bore in the housing that communicates with the opening, wherein at least a portion of the pin is slidably received in the bore in the housing, wherein the first position of the pin is an extended position, where a portion of the pin extends into the opening through the bore, and wherein the second position of the pin is a retracted position, where the pin does not extend into the opening.
 16. The mechanism of claim 15, wherein the bore and the pin are radially aligned with the opening.
 17. A gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism for mounting to a vehicle having a vehicle frame, the mechanism comprising: a frame for coupling the mechanism to the vehicle frame; a generally tubular housing connected to the frame, the housing having a cylindrical opening therein; a hitch member having a ball portion, and a cylindrical base portion, wherein the base portion includes a groove in an outer surface thereof which circumscribes the entire base portion and is of a generally uniform depth and width, wherein the base portion of the hitch member is selectively and alternatively slidably received within the cylindrical opening in the housing in an upright use position, where the ball portion is above the base portion, and an inverted storage position, where the ball portion is below the base portion; and a pin member movably coupled with the housing and positioned for selective cooperation with the groove of the base portion when the base portion is received in the cylindrical opening in the upright use position for selectively retaining the hitch member in the housing during use and wherein the pin member permits the base portion to rotate in the cylindrical opening when it is cooperating with the groove to retain the hitch member in the housing during use.
 18. The mechanism of claim 17, wherein the opening in the housing has a central longitudinal axis, wherein the hitch member has a central longitudinal axis, wherein the central longitudinal axis of the opening and the central longitudinal axis of the hitch member are coaxial when the hitch member is received in the housing, and wherein the pin member permits the hitch member to rotate about its central longitudinal axis when the hitch member is in the upright use position during use.
 19. The mechanism of claim 18, wherein the housing includes a bore therein that communicates with the opening, wherein at least a portion of the pin member is slidably received in the bore in the housing, wherein the pin member is selectively movable between an extended position, where a portion of the pin member extends into the opening through the bore, and a retracted position, where the pin member does not extend into the opening.
 20. The mechanism of claim 19, wherein the bore and the pin member are radially aligned with the opening. 